Tag Archives: sustainable performance

There’s some good green news for Arizona. For the sixth year in a row, Pinnacle West (the parent company of Arizona Public Service Co.) has been separately named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DSJI) North America and as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies in the World.

The index recognizes sustainable business practices for publicly held companies and the Global 100 is a list of the most sustainable companies in the world, as compiled by global investing magazine Corporate Knights.

In addition, the company was named to the JustMeans’ Global 1000 Sustainable Performance Leaders, ranking 294th out of 1,000 companies worldwide.

These recognitions signify Pinnacle West’s impressive focus on the environment.

“APS and Pinnacle West long ago adopted – and adhere to – a corporate strategy that balances financial strength with an equal focus on the environmental and community impacts of our business decisions,” said Ed Fox, APS Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer. “We are honored that independent and respected organizations, such as these three, continue to recognize our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable business practices, both of which are key drivers in our long-term strategy and our day-to-day decisions.”

Windows rolled down. Wind whipping through your hair. Music blaring from the speakers.

Does this scene sound familiar? Chances are many (if not all) of you have experienced driving down the highway and can relate to this imagery. Indeed, driving on the millions of miles of American highways is as embedded in our culture as hot dogs.

The United States highway network consists of 4 million miles of roads and streets. But did you know that building and maintaining a single mile of freeway takes as much energy as 200 homes in the U.S. use in one year? Or that it generates more waste than 1,200 homes produce annually? I certainly didn’t.

Luckily, researchers from the University of Washington’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the engineering firm CH2M Hill have launched the world’s first rating system for sustainable road construction.

Just as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) introduced the LEED Rating System — a third-party certification program encouraging sustainable green building through tool and performance criteria — the researchers and engineering firm have introduced Greenroads.

According to the website, Greenroads is “a sustainability performance metric for roadway design and construction. It is applicable to new and reconstructed/rehabiliated roadways. It awards points for approved sustainable choices/practices and can be used to assess roadway project sustainability.”

In order for a roadway to be considered a Greenroad, it must meet 11 “Project Requirements”. Much like the LEED system, there are also several levels of certification including: certified, silver, gold and evergreen.

Sustainable practices continue to be implemented into all facets of living and Greenroads is a great example of the progress that’s being made. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — our future is green and that’s a good thing.